DURUGA MURUGI

Duruga Murugi (duruga murugi) (ದುರುಗ ಮುರುಗಿ) is a very interesting art form which is essentially religious in nature. This is called ‘duruga murugi’ in North Karnataka and ‘Uru mAriyamma’ or ‘kollApuradamma’ in the Southern part of the state. This art is practiced by a particular community called ‘maragammadavaru’. The uniqueness of this art lies in the fact, that the concrened Goddess does not have a temple of her own in any town or village. She is a migrant Goddess who moves from lace to place along with her priests, kept either in a box or in an open basket. Probably this beckons to a period during which the communities and their Gods were migrants with out a settled habitat. However, one finds a number of Kollapuradamma temples in many places in South Karnataka including places such as Mysore, Kodigehalli, and Chikkamagaluru etc. During their meanderings in the villages these artists perform a dance with the Goddess on their heads. The dance is performed to the accompaniment of an instrument called ‘urume’ or ‘are’. This artist is also called ‘pOtarAja’. Usually it is husband-wife combination that performs the ritualistic art. Potaraja has the weird habit of whipping himself with a leather whip to the point of extracting blood. This awe inspiring act along with the shrill sound of the instrument played by the woman succeeds in creating a frightening scenario. Occasionally the man sings a song announcing the arrival of the Goddess on his corporeal body. He puts on the mask of ‘sOma’ in old Mysore and that of ‘cauDi’ in the northern regions. These artists do get a sizable quantity of alms both in cash and kind. Some devotees offer ornaments of gold and silver in return for favours received by the Goddess.

Duruga murugi artists are dressed and made up in an awe inspiring manner. Their faces are smeared with turmeric paste and they have a huge Kunkum (Vermillon) mark on their fore head. A mixture of turmeric and kunkum is smeared on their chest also. Silver bands adorn their arms and a waist band of jingling trinkets (gejje) is added to enhance the effect. A red saree is tied as though it is a dhOti worn by men. The woman wears a number of silver ornaments and holds the musical instrument as also a shoulder bag to collect the alms.

Folk practices like this which have lost their semantic kernel and are persisting as powerful rituals are gradually fading away.

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